Pre-intermediate Grammar Trainer - All Past Tenses

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| By Angela
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Angela
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Quizzes Created: 1 | Total Attempts: 3,676
Questions: 15 | Attempts: 3,676

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Pre-intermediate Grammar Trainer - All Past Tenses - Quiz


Questions and Answers
  • 1. 

    We _______ a new car yesterday.

    • A.

      Bought

    • B.

      Were buying

    • C.

      Had bought

    • D.

      Had been buying

    Correct Answer
    A. Bought
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "bought" because it is the simple past tense of the verb "buy". This indicates that the action of buying a new car occurred in the past, specifically yesterday.

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  • 2. 

    Ann _______ to her brother when I arrived.

    • A.

      Spoke

    • B.

      Was speaking

    • C.

      Had spoken

    • D.

      Had been speaking

    Correct Answer
    B. Was speaking
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "was speaking." This is because the sentence is in the past tense and indicates an ongoing action at a specific point in the past when the speaker arrived. "Was speaking" is the past continuous tense, which is used to describe an action that was happening at a particular time in the past.

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  • 3. 

    Helen was tired because she _______ since morning.

    • A.

      Worked

    • B.

      Was working

    • C.

      Had worked

    • D.

      Had been working

    Correct Answer
    D. Had been working
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "had been working" because the sentence suggests that Helen was tired because she had been continuously working since morning. The past perfect continuous tense "had been working" is used to indicate an ongoing action in the past that was completed before another past event or time.

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  • 4. 

    I _______ my homework before my mum came.

    • A.

      Did

    • B.

      Was doing

    • C.

      Had done

    • D.

      Had been doing

    Correct Answer
    C. Had done
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "had done" because it indicates that the action of completing the homework occurred before the arrival of the speaker's mom. The past perfect tense "had done" is used to express an action that happened before another past action or point in time.

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  • 5. 

    Tom _______ home ten minutes ago

    • A.

      Left

    • B.

      Was leaving

    • C.

      Had left

    • D.

      Had been leaving

    Correct Answer
    A. Left
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "left" because it indicates that Tom completed the action of leaving his home in the past. The other options ("was leaving," "had left," and "had been leaving") do not accurately convey the simple past tense of the verb "leave."

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  • 6. 

    Kate _______ there for 5 years before she left.     

    • A.

      Lived

    • B.

      Was living

    • C.

      Had lived

    • D.

      Had been living

    Correct Answer
    C. Had lived
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "had lived." This is because the sentence is referring to an action that happened before another past action. The past perfect tense "had lived" is used to indicate that Kate lived in a place for a period of time before leaving.

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  • 7. 

    Pam _______ the room when the telephone rang.

    • A.

      Tidied

    • B.

      Was tidying

    • C.

      Had tidied

    • D.

      Had been tidying

    Correct Answer
    B. Was tidying
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "was tidying". This is because the sentence is describing an action that was happening in the past at the same time as another action (the telephone ringing). The past continuous tense "was tidying" is used to indicate this simultaneous action.

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  • 8. 

    Philip _______ my car by two o’clock yesterday.

    • A.

      Repaired

    • B.

      Was repairing

    • C.

      Had repaired

    • D.

      Had been repairing

    Correct Answer
    C. Had repaired
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "had repaired". This is because the sentence is in the past perfect tense, indicating an action that was completed before another past action. In this case, the car was repaired before two o'clock yesterday.

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  • 9. 

    I _______ computer games until 3 o’clock.

    • A.

      Played

    • B.

      Was playing

    • C.

      Had played

    • D.

      Had been playing

    Correct Answer
    D. Had been playing
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "had been playing". This is because the sentence is in the past tense and the verb "had been playing" indicates an ongoing action that started in the past and continued until a specific time (3 o'clock in this case).

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  • 10. 

    Ann _______ me with my homework yesterday.

    • A.

      Helped

    • B.

      Was helping

    • C.

      Had helped

    • D.

      Had been helping

    Correct Answer
    A. Helped
    Explanation
    The verb "helped" is the simple past form of the verb "help." Since the sentence is in the past tense ("yesterday"), the correct answer is "helped." The other options ("was helping," "had helped," "had been helping") are all in different past tenses and do not fit the context of the sentence.

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  • 11. 

    Liz _______ lunch before her brother came.

    • A.

      Didn't cook

    • B.

      Wasn't cooking

    • C.

      Hadn't cooked

    • D.

      Hadn't been cooking

    Correct Answer
    C. Hadn't cooked
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "hadn't cooked". This is because the sentence is referring to an action that happened before Liz's brother arrived. The past perfect tense "hadn't cooked" indicates that the action of cooking lunch was completed before her brother came.

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  • 12. 

    He was tired. He _______ his car for 7 hours.   

    • A.

      Drove

    • B.

      Was driving

    • C.

      Had driven

    • D.

      Had been driving

    Correct Answer
    D. Had been driving
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "had been driving" because the sentence indicates that the person was tired, suggesting that the action of driving had been ongoing for a period of time. "Had been driving" is the past perfect continuous tense, which is used to describe an action that started in the past and continued up until another point in the past.

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  • 13. 

    What __ ___ at 3 o’clock yesterday?   

    • A.

      Did you do

    • B.

      Were you doing

    • C.

      Had you done

    • D.

      Had you been doing

    Correct Answer
    B. Were you doing
    Explanation
    This question is asking about an action that was happening at a specific time in the past, which is 3 o'clock yesterday. The correct answer "were you doing" is in the past continuous tense, indicating an ongoing action that was happening at that specific time.

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  • 14. 

    I _______ my letter before the film started.

    • A.

      Sent

    • B.

      Was senting

    • C.

      Had sent

    • D.

      Had been sending

    Correct Answer
    C. Had sent
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "had sent." This is because the sentence is in the past perfect tense, indicating that the action of sending the letter occurred before another past event (the film starting). "Had sent" is the correct past perfect form of the verb "send" in this context.

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  • 15. 

    Alec _______ the championship last year.    

    • A.

      Won

    • B.

      Was winning

    • C.

      Had won

    • D.

      Had been winning

    Correct Answer
    A. Won
    Explanation
    Last year, Alec emerged as the winner of the championship.

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Our quizzes are rigorously reviewed, monitored and continuously updated by our expert board to maintain accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.

  • Current Version
  • Mar 22, 2023
    Quiz Edited by
    ProProfs Editorial Team
  • Oct 24, 2016
    Quiz Created by
    Angela
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